Objective: To study the cytobiological basis of constriction dysfunction and arrhythmia in cardiac muscle cells with viral myocarditis.
Methods: The expression of connexin 43 and desmin in cardiac muscle cells of mice with experimental viral myocarditis was determined by immunohistochemistry.
Results: In normal mice, connexin 43 and desmin are located in the intercalated disks of cardiac muscle, and the latter also revealed a positive immunoreactivity in the cross striations of sarcomeres. In viral myocarditis, the expression of both became much weakened, can even become negative.
Conclusion: In myocarditis, expression of connexin 43 and desmin in the involved cardiac muscle cells was inhibited, resulting in dysfunction of gap junctional communication and arrhythmia.